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UMMC and Vanderbilt will collaborate on services, research and education

Clarion Ledger
Published 7:00 a.m. CT Feb. 27, 2018

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Video tour of the newly completed School of Medicine Building at UMMC complete with operation training labs and lifelike dummies.
Elijah Baylis/The Clarion-Ledger

The University of Mississippi Medical Center's national recognition for its advanced telemedicine capabilities is one of the strengths it will bring to its affiliation agreement with Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In this file photo, nurses are seen working at the Center for Telehealth in the USB Building in north Jackson. UMMC in Jackson — the state's only academic hospital — has remote connections with 165 sites.(Photo: The University of Mississippi Medical Center)

University of Mississippi Medical Center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center officials have formeded a strategic affiliation that will allow them to collaborate on clinical services, research opportunities and medical education and training.

Market forces have made it necessary for progressive health systems to seek new ways to improve the quality, value and experience of health care services for patients in Mississippi and Tennessee, Dr. Charles O'Mara, UMMC associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs, said in a news release.

The agreement allows the two institutions to form and share new clinical programs and services; provides a pathway for them to formally collaborate on health and wellness initiatives and clinical services; allows them to jointly collaborate on medical innovation programs and clinical research opportunities; and positions them to explore opportunities for collaborating in medical education and training.

Southern states “consistently rank near the bottom in the nation for certain health and wellness metrics," Dr. C. Wright Pinson, Vanderbilt’s deputy chief executive officer and chief health system officer, said in the release. "This agreement creates opportunities for our organizations to develop programs and services that will benefit the communities we serve while advancing our mission to improve the health of citizens who live throughout the Southeast.”

Both organizations will contribute their strengths to the relationship. For example, UMMC is nationally recognized for its advanced telemedicine capabilities and for its tertiary clinical services, while VUMC is similarly recognized for its research, training programs and advanced capabilities in clinical care.

"We believe there are a wide range of possible areas for collaboration," Kevin Cook, UMMC health system CEO, said in the release. "Some are clinical in nature, such as working together to enhance our respective drug formularies, while others are more business-oriented, such as improved supply chain performance."

Each institution remains independent and free to pursue individual initiatives.